1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toner container adapted for toner replenishment to a developing device of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile printer or the like, and a toner replenishing mechanism employing such toner container.
2. Related Background Art
As a means of toner replenishment from a toner container to a developing device provided in the main body of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, there is conventionally known a system of setting, at the toner replenishing operation, a toner container in a toner storage unit of the developing device, then transferring the entire toner at a time from the toner container to the toner storage unit and detaching the toner container from the main body after the replenishing operation.
Such system is however unsatisfactory in its operation property, for example because of smearing the toner caused by over-feeding of the toner, since the entire amount of the toner is replenished at one time.
In order to resolve the above-mentioned drawback, the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 7-020705 and 10-260574 proposed a toner container and a toner replenishing device in which a cylinder having a spiral portion on the periphery thereof is rotated about the axis thereof in a substantially horizontal position to discharge and supply the toner to the developing device in small portions.
The proposal described in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 7-020705 and 10-260574 resolves the drawback of smearing caused by the overfeeding of toner, but the above-described system is still associated with a drawback that the stabilization of the toner discharge takes a certain amount of time in case the toner causes bridging in the toner container.